The questions posed to contestants in the National Political Science Bee recently at the event in Arlington, Virginia, weren’t for the faint of heart, but Jack Piros used his political acumen to win the competition.
Piros, a graduating senior at Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School, had plenty of practice, having been on the school’s Scholastic Bowl team for four years. It also helped that he is a news junkie.
“I’m lucky because it’s something I just look at in my spare time, reading about ongoing news,” Piros said.
He’s also been participating in debate competitions for several years and has gotten good at preparing beforehand and anticipating discussion topics.
“Maybe I’ve just gotten better at stuff like that,” said Piros, who lives in Homewood. “I think it just felt like the questions fit more.”
Piros finished first in a field of 47 Varsity Division students after five buzzer-based quiz bowl-style competition rounds at the event, which was contested at the same time as National History Bowl, National History Bee, National Geography Bee, National Science Bee, U.S. Geography Championships, United States History Bee, National Academic Bee and other events for high school and junior high students.
The questions at the Political Science Bee were broad, challenging and included material on American and international politics, systems of government, current events, political theory and international relations. One question asked who described congressional districts as being composed of “concentric circles” in a study of legislative campaigns. Answer: Richard Fenno.
Piros won by getting 6 or 7 right out of a total of 35.
“It was just fun,” he said. “I like answering trivia.”
But Michael Sacks, a Homewood-Flossmoor geometry teacher, head Scholastic Bowl coach and head Mathletes coach, who has guided Jack for the past four years and known him since his brother was a student there, said Piros’ inherent curiosity is a key to his success.
“Jack is just one of these students who is really smart, but also really interested in the world around him,” said Sacks. “He’s really knowledgeable about history, but what sets him apart is, he spends a lot of time on his own learning about the world and different situations.”
In preparing for the Political Science Bee, Sacks said students practiced live with him weekly and reviewed past questions.
“There’s a lot of this where you have no idea what might come up, but there are patterns,” he said.
Last year, Piros did great in a similar competition, Sacks said, but this year he “exceeded our expectations.”
“The more experience you get, the better off you are,” he said.
Eight other Homewood-Flossmoor students also competed in the National Political Science Bee and a few others in different events at the tournament.
The school also has done well at numerous Scholastic Bowl competitions.
The team was IHSA Regional Champion, Sectional Champion, and State Qualifier in the final eight in state during the 2023-2024 school year. In History Bowl competitions, the team was the Northern Illinois Winter Regional semifinalist and the 27th at Nationals.
Piros has won All-Conference, All-Sectional and All-State recognition. He also took fourth place in the Northern Illinois Winter Regional History Bee, second place in the Chicagoland Championships History Bee, in addition to other wins.
“Jack’s performance as a National Champion in the National Political Science Bee is an outstanding achievement. This year’s questions were particularly challenging, and I extend my congratulations to Jack on rising to the occasion to seize the National Championship,” said David Madden, executive director of International Academic Competitions, which organizes the annual contest in Virginia.
Piros, who is also in the National Honor Society and Mathletes, said his teacher Sacks deserves some of the credit. At one of the yearly award ceremonies for Scholastic Bowl, Piros remembered Mike Woolley, a volunteer coach from Sandburg High School at the time, mentioning that Sacks was an “organizational genius because he runs so many tournaments in the area.” But Jack said it was “also just choosing which tournament we need to go to do the best and get the practice to qualify for the National.”
“He’s amazing,” Piros said. “He’s just a nice guy, too.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
